There are actually a lot of space launch items in there, including asking for reports on:How to go about incorporating reusable launch vehicles in the program formerly known as EELV. (Seriously, they're changing the name to remove "Expendable").Rapid and responsive launch of small payloads.Costs and benefits of developing advanced upper stages (longer duration, multiple restarts, refueling, maybe provide power to payloads, etc. Sound familiar? Wonder if someone from Alabama or Colorado put that in there.)Whether we should maintain multiple providers of large solid rocket motors.Risk/benefit/cost analysis of using smaller satellite buses for next generation systems.

This stuff is very preliminary at this point, it could change greatly as it goes through the whole process, but interesting to see so many space launch issues in there.

Criteria for Launch Service Agreement Down-Select The committee notes that the Secretary of the Air Force plans to make aninitial down-select decision to three potential Expendable Evolved Launch Vehicle(EELV) launch providers for assured access to space in the summer of 2018, andplans to make a final award for launch service procurement contracts by the end offiscal year 2019. The committee is aware that full-scale flight tests of new spacelaunch vehicles may not occur until after this award is made. The committee therefore directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide abriefing to the House Committee on Armed Services not later than October 1, 2018,on the criteria and sufficiency of test data that the Air Force will use to make thefinal launch service agreement awards by the end of fiscal year 2019, potentiallyahead of fully integrated flight tests. The briefing should also include criteria andincentives that the Air Force will use to ensure that the contractors selectedmaintain schedule and fidelity in line with their contract bids.

So far it's a little shorter than the House bill for launch related items. It also has a renaming of the EELV program to “National Security Space Launch Program”, reporting requirements for whether reusable vehicles are considered for each launch contract, and directs the AF to establish procedures for certifying reusable vehicles. Also says that the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering has authority over the direction future satellite architectures but not over the direction of future launch vehicles.

The president's announcement that he was directing the Pentagon to begin work to establish a sixth military branch, or "Space Force", certainly caught a lot of attention in the press and media. While interesting and certainly worthy of comment, Congress quietly continued work on the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), provisions in which could greatly affect the trajectory of the national security space architecture. One component of this is in the world of launch.

The NDAA takes aggressive steps forward on embracing reusability - this is to be welcomed. Under Section 1605 of the current draft, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program is renamed the "National Security Space Launch Program". This is a step forward in recognizing that reusability can and should be part of our nation's launch portfolio, but the key developments follow next.>Elon Musk's SpaceX is making reusability the norm for launch. Indeed, it is almost more of a story when a Falcon 9 first stage isn't recovered. ...>>

>6 SEC. 1605. REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES. 7 (a) REUSABILITY.The Evolved Expendable Launch 8 Vehicle Program shall be designated as the National Secu-9 rity Space Launch Program. 10 (b) REFERENCE TO EVOLVED EXPENDABLE LAUNCH11 VEHICLE PROGRAM.Any reference in any law, regulation, 12 guidance, instruction, map, document, record, or other 13 paper of the United States to the Evolved Expendable 14 Launch Vehicle Program shall be deemed to be a reference 15 to the National Security Space Launch Program. 16 (c) POLICY.In carrying out the policy set forth in 17 section 2273 of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary 18 of Defense shall pursue a strategy that includes fully or par-19 tially reusable launch systems. 20 (d) CERTIFICATION STRATEGY.The Secretary shall 21 continue to develop a process to evaluate and certify launch 22 vehicles using previously flown components or systems for 23 national security space launch. 24 (e) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.Not less than 60 days 25 before the date on which a solicitation for procurement of

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1 space launch services is issued, the Secretary shall submit 2 to the congressional defense committees a report that sets 3 forth 4 (1) a determination with respect to whether 5 launch vehicles using previously flown components, or 6 systems or with components or systems that are in-7 tended to be reused, that could otherwise meet mission 8 requirements are eligible for award; and 9 (2) in the case of a determination that such 10 launch vehicles shall not be eligible for award, a jus-11 tification with respect to the reason for ineligibility.>